Floor Statements

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

(Mr. CAMP asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Last week, we appropriated an unlimited amount of general funds to the unemployment trust funds throughout fiscal year 2010, which starts in October, and today we're doing the same thing for the last 2 months of this year, ensuring these funds don't run out while Congress is on district work period. Both actions are needed because the Democrats' economic policy has resulted in record job loss, record deficits, and none of the job creation they promised.

Democrats predicted unemployment would top out at 8 percent if the stimulus passed; instead, it's 9.5 percent and rising. In Michigan, it's above 15 percent. There are now a record 9.2 million collecting unemployment checks instead of paychecks. That's 1.1 million more than when the stimulus was passed. So if the stimulus is stimulating anything, it's record unemployment, not jobs.

Where are the jobs? Americans can surely see the record unemployment, but they cannot see where the jobs are. That's because millions of jobs are disappearing, not being created. What's more, since President Obama was sworn in, the Nation's public debt and unemployment, combined, has risen by a shocking 40 percent. And that's before literally trillions of dollars in additional spending under the Democrats' stimulus, energy, and health plans, and whatever higher unemployment lies ahead.

This bill reflects the continued failure of Democratic economic policy to save or create millions of jobs they promised that would flow quickly from their stimulus bill. More unemployment benefits instead of paychecks have led directly to more State insolvency and more Federal loans to those insolvent States. And that has drained the Federal bailout funds so much, it now needs its own bailout. That's what this bill does.

We had a choice when it came to the stimulus last February. We could have chosen a better policy of stimulating private-sector growth creating twice the jobs at half the price. That was the Republican plan. Instead, Democrats insisted on their government focus plan, which has produced no jobs and a mountain of debt. Today, in my view, we don't really have a choice but to support this bill; otherwise, in the next 2 months, laid-off workers will not get the unemployment benefits they were promised. American workers should not be forced to pay for the mistakes and failures of the Democrats' so-called stimulus bill. So this bill is necessary.

But in the longer run, we need to work together to create jobs so Americans can receive more paychecks, not more unemployment checks.

I would also note, Mr. Speaker, that this bill provides an emergency transfer of $7 billion in the general fund revenue to prop up the Highway Trust Fund for the reminder of this fiscal year. This is not the first time Congress has had to fill a year-end shortfall in the trust fund to ensure that State highway projects can go forward. And unless we get serious about enacting long-term structural reforms as we move ahead with the next reauthorization bill, it surely won't be the last bill, either.

I don't think anyone in this Chamber thinks that yet another short- term general fund transfer is the ideal solution to these chronic shortfalls, and I certainly hope that going forward, the majority focuses its attention on long-term structural reforms and not just on higher and higher spending levels.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mica).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Mario Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Flake).

I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Latham).

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would just say that the Obama administration famously predicted that its so-called stimulus plan would save or create 3.5 million jobs. The gentleman referred to millions of jobs being created repairing our infrastructure. However, the unemployment rate is now at 9.5 percent, well above the 8 percent the administration projected if the stimulus passed. That means 2.5 million more Americans are unemployed than the President promised. So not only have no jobs been created in the private sector, in just 4 months, 2 million private sector jobs have been destroyed. Meanwhile, jobs in government have grown slightly, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

At this time, I reserve the balance of my time.

I will say that we have no further speakers, and I believe the gentleman has the right to close.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers on my side, so I will yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to The Most Reverend Joseph R. Cistone on his installation as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Saginaw.

A lifelong resident of Philadelphia, Bishop Cistone knew he wanted to be a priest from an early age. His life's calling has now led him to mid-Michigan as the new leader of more than 130,000 Catholics in the 11-county diocese.

Without question, this is a region in transition; one hit especially hard by worldwide economic downturn severely impacting this longtime manufacturing community. We look to our faith now more than ever to carry us though these difficult times and strengthen us during hardship.

In the midst of these challenges, we are thankful His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI led Bishop Cistone to Saginaw as a powerful sign that we are not alone in this journey. We believe Bishop Cistone has been led to Saginaw to richly bless us with his talents in our time of greatest need.

As members of the community of believers in the diocese, we offer our prayers and congratulations to Bishop Cistone as he starts his ministry in mid-Michigan. We pray for his family, especially his parents and brothers today as their son and brother takes on a new role in the Church. We also pray for his new family, the people of the Diocese of Saginaw. We hope that Bishop Cistone's example of faith in God will inspire not just Catholics but people of all faiths and even non- religious backgrounds to seek the Lord.

For the many Catholics I represent in Michigan's Fourth Congressional District, may God lead and guide Bishop Cistone and the Saginaw Diocese to do His will.

Mr. Speaker, despite unemployment fast approaching 10 percent--over 15 percent in my home State of Michigan--a new analysis shows the Democrats' health care plan could force as many as 61 percent of small businesses which already provide health insurance to pay a new 8 percent payroll tax. The House Democrats' bill mandates employers must pay a minimum of 72.5 percent of the health insurance premiums for individuals and 65 percent for families. If an employer fails to do so, then it will be subject to a job- and wage-crushing 8 percent payroll tax.

According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, the new mandate will hit small firms and their employees especially hard. The majority of those

small firms that don't meet the Democrats' standards, up to 61 percent of small businesses, will pay that tax.

The bottom line: more taxes and more costs that will hurt the very workers they are supposed to help.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Details of these projects are:

$496,000 for the Clare County Transit Corporation, located at 4175 North Clare Avenue, Harrison Michigan 48625, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of completing a new multi-modal transportation facility to house administration, operations and maintenance.

$300,000 for the Roscommon County Transportation Authority, located at 2665 South Townline Road, Prudenville, Michigan 48651, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to fifteen replacement buses.

$250,000 for the Big Rapids Dial-A-Ride Public Transportation, located at 226 North Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids, Michigan 49307, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to seven medium duty buses.

$203,000 for the County Connection of Midland located at, 883 East Isabella Road, Midland, Michigan 48640, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to three gas cutaway buses with lifts and up to three diesel cutaway buses with lifts.

The Clare bus facility is a project that began in 2005 and I helped to secure $560,000 for this facility. This funding for Clare is the final piece in the long process of building their new facility.

With regards to the bus funding, the State of Michigan has struggled to balance its budget which has led to many cuts in transportation and infrastructure funding. This, coupled with an aging bus fleet and high energy costs, threatens to limit the mobility of seniors, the disabled, and students living in rural areas. The bus funding in this bill will provide important relief to various transit agencies so they may begin to replace their aging fleets and continue to serve rural America. For these reasons, this funding is a wise and responsible expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership standards on earmarks, I am submitting the following information regarding earmarks I received as part of H.R. 3288, the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2010. Details of these projects are:

(1) $496,000 for the Clare County Transit Corporation, located at 4175 North Clare Avenue, Harrison, Michigan 48625, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of completing a new multi-modal transportation facility to house administration, operations and maintenance.

(2) $300,000 for the Roscommon County Transportation Authority, located at 2665 South Townline Road, Prudenville, Michigan 48651, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to fifteen replacement buses.

(3) $250,000 for the Big Rapids Dial-A-Ride Public Transportation, located at 226 North Michigan Avenue, Big Rapids, Michigan 49307, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to seven medium duty buses.

(4) $203,000 for the County Connection of Midland located at, 883 East Isabella Road, Midland, Michigan 48640, from the Federal Transit Administration's Buses and Bus Facilities account for the purpose of replacing up to three gas cutaway buses with lifts and up to three diesel cutaway buses with lifts.

The Clare bus facility is a project that began in 2005 and I helped to secure $560,000 for this facility. This funding for Clare is the final piece in the long process of building their new facility.

With regards to the bus funding, the State of Michigan has struggled to balance its budget which has led to many cuts in transportation and infrastructure funding. This, coupled with an aging bus fleet and high energy costs, threatens to limit the mobility of seniors, the disabled, and students living in rural areas. The bus funding in this bill will provide important relief to various transit agencies so they may begin to replace their aging fleets and continue to serve rural America. For these reasons, this funding is a wise and responsible expenditure of taxpayer dollars.

Mr. Chairman, I intend to vote against this bill, but I want to recognize and highlight one section, and that is ensuring workers continue to get promised regular and extended unemployment benefits and States are able to keep paying those benefits. Let's be clear why this provision is necessary. The Democrats' economic policy has resulted in record job loss, record deficits and none of the job creation they promised. But American workers should not pay for the mistakes and failures of the Democrats' so-called stimulus bill.

Just yesterday we reached yet another record in the number of American workers collecting unemployment checks instead of paychecks, and the Nation's unemployment rate is headed quickly to 10 percent and is already above 15 percent in my home State of Michigan.

Mr. Chairman, Americans can surely see the record unemployment, but they cannot see where the jobs are. The President and administration officials recently suggested their stimulus plan is working as intended and helping the economy recover. Well, it's not. The bill before us proves that. As the chart next to me shows, since President Obama was sworn into office, the Nation's public debt and unemployment combined, the Obama Misery Index, has risen by a shocking 40 percent, and that's before literally trillions of dollars in additional spending under the Democrats' stimulus, energy and health plans, and whatever higher unemployment lies ahead.

The bill reflects the continued failure of their economic policy to save or create millions of jobs they promised would flow quickly from their stimulus bill. Mr. Chairman, Republicans offered a plan that would have provided twice the jobs at half the cost. It was disappointing when it was rejected earlier this year, and the bill before us, in

which Congress is bailing out the Federal unemployment bailout fund for States, is yet another reminder of the failure of the bill Democrats wrote behind closed doors and forced through Congress.

Given the amendments, as the ranking member articulated, that were not allowed or not included, I can only hope that this bill comes back from the Senate improved. Mr. Chairman, we must help those who need help. But it would be nice if the Congress would provide them a job, not another unemployment check.

Offered By: Mr. Camp

Amendment No. 12: At the end of the bill (before the short

title), insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, the chart next to me shows the Obama Misery Index, OMI, which reveals a stunning rise in debt and in unemployment. ``Oh, my,'' I think, is the right title for the index of current and future burdens that Americans face.

Despite campaign pledges of fiscal responsibility and of job creation, since Inauguration Day, we've seen an $800 billion stimulus bill, massive energy taxes and a legislative agenda that has resulted in a rapidly growing debt alongside rising unemployment. Taken together, these figures define the effect of the President's policies to date, not only revealing their failure to deliver jobs for today's workers but an even larger government tab for our children and grandchildren to pay. Already the unemployment and debt on President Obama's watch is a stunning 40.6 percent--the current Obama Misery Index actually felt by the American people.

After the Vice President's recent claim that the government needs to spend more money to keep from going bankrupt and after the CBO, Congressional Budget Office, Director suggests that the $1 trillion Democrat health care bill will add to the country's budget problems, this measure may only worsen in months ahead.

Mr. Speaker, where are the jobs?

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 30-year anniversary of the attacks on the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan and to recognize the bravery and valiant acts of Marine Corporal Steven J. Cowley during these attacks.

Thirty years ago, 20-year-old Steven J. Crowley was an honorable and devoted Corporal in the United States Marines. As a guard at the U.S. Embassy, he took seriously his vow to protect and serve his country. On November 21, 1979, Corporal Crowley made the ultimate sacrifice to protecting the institution he was designated to defend as rioters invaded the building.

The details of these attacks on the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan remain haunting memories for the hostages trapped inside the building. On the 30-year anniversary of the attack, may we recognize the courage and selflessness of Corporal Steven Crowley. His heroic acts saved the lives of countless individuals held hostage. These survivors serve as models of the resilience of Americans and the determination we possess to overcome any obstacle that impedes on the freedom and liberty we are so justly guaranteed.

On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Michigan, I commemorate the 30th anniversary of the attacks on the United States Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan and remember Marine Corporal Steven J. Crowley. I wish to extend my sincerest sympathies to the family, friends and loved ones of Steven on this somber occasion.

Madam Speaker, pursuant to the Republican Leadership's standards on Member spending requests, I am submitting the following information regarding the spending request I submitted that is contained in H.R. 3183, the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill for FY 2010.

The entity to receive funding under the request is Spaulding Township, located at 5025 East Road, Saginaw, Michigan, 48601. The funding is to be allocated from the Army Corps of Engineers Section 205 Account, and will be used by the Army Corps of Engineers to complete construction of the north and south levees at the Cass River in Saginaw County between East M 13 and Sheridan Road. The existing levees (except for the portion completed in early 1999 by the Township) will be relocated away from the banks of the Cass River to create a floodway shelf for added capacity and for wetland mitigation. The Township has already contributed $345,000 towards the project, and $3,930,573 in federal funding is required in order to complete the project according to structural and safety guidelines required by Army Corps of Engineers.

The Cass River has flooded nearby homes and businesses in Spaulding Township on an almost semi-annual basis for the past 30 years. During some of these floods, traffic on major highways has been stopped, and at times has made emergency rescue services (fire and ambulance) impossible. The existing levees are in poor condition and portions appear to be unstable. In addition, the low top elevations of the existing levees do not adequately protect the area from flooding. Federal funds are therefore needed to mitigate a significant public health and safety risk to the residents of Spaulding Township.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to a man who, as Legislative Counsel, has truly been an unsung hero of the Congress. Pope Barrow has loyally, diligently and selflessly served the U.S. House of Representatives and the American people for nearly forty years in a role that brought him no public accolades but the deep appreciation of Members of this great Chamber.

As Legislative Counsel, Pope has carried out the often thankless task of turning ideas for bills and amendments into statutory text, and he has done so with an unfailing dedication to the office's commitment to serving as a non-partisan resource in a task where politics is the name of the game.

Legislative Counsel's key role in the process is to quickly and accurately turn the ideas of legislators and staff into statutory text. As my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee will attest, this challenge is especially acute in the world of tax, as a single missed word or incorrect cross-reference can turn into a multi-billion dollar tax loophole.

The difficulty of accurately drafting bills and amendments, often on tight timelines, is daunting, to say the least. Mr. Barrow performed this task with unwavering diligence, commanding the respect of his fellow colleagues and the appreciation of Members and staff over the years, all while keeping the confidences necessary to be trusted by Republicans and Democrats working on opposite sides of the same issue. Though he often flew

under the radar, his tireless efforts and years of service have not gone unnoticed. I am pleased to rise today to thank him for that.

Madam Speaker, on behalf of the U.S. Congress, I thank Pope Barrow for his exemplary years of hard work and dedication to making democracy work. I wish him nothing but the best in his retirement.

Congratulations and best of luck.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

As a candidate, the President stated that under his energy plan ``electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.'' I give him credit, he was being honest with the American people.

Today, the Nation's unemployment level is fast approaching 10 percent. That means one out of every 10 Americans will soon be without a job and without a paycheck to provide for themselves and their families. Yet, this national energy tax will drive up prices while making jobs scarcer. In fact, one utility which is even supporting this legislation has already applied to State regulators to raise their electricity rates in anticipation of the cost of complying with this national energy tax.

While the Speaker wants us to pay more in energy taxes, China and India have repeatedly said they will not follow suit. They will not impose those hardships on their people. This shouldn't surprise us. As our mothers used to ask, if everyone else jumped off a cliff, would you? Of course not. Neither will China and India. They recognize enacting these caps is like jumping off an economic cliff.

So what does a ``yes'' vote mean? It means more American manufacturing jobs move to China and India, fewer Americans have jobs, and there is no reduction in global greenhouse gases. And because this bill was rushed to the floor, because the American people were not given a chance to review it because their Representatives were not given a chance to improve it through the committee process, this bill contains numerous flaws.

The border measures, which the Committee on Ways and Means has not reviewed, are an area open for our trading partners to retaliate against our goods and against our workers. How does this help our economy? How does this help families? How does this help our environment? It doesn't.

Now, I know promises have been made that your constituents won't be harmed by this bill, that it contains plenty of consumer protections. What are those protections? Who's going to get them? Not the middle class. Not the people the President promised to protect, families making less than $250,000 a year. Somewhere in this House late at night someone made the decision to eliminate the tax credits designed to help middle class families pay for these high energy prices.

Here are the plain and simple facts: under the Speaker's national energy tax, a family of four with income over $33,000 per year will lose under this bill. They, and 235 million other Americans, will pay higher costs and receive no help in offsetting those costs. Let's be clear what this means: three out of every four Americans will pay more under this bill.

The Speaker's national energy tax is bad for our economy, bad for families who are already struggling to make ends meet, and it will do nothing to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. It's all pain and no gain. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I wish the gentleman's passion was directed at bringing the bill before the Ways and Means Committee.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Herger).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a true American hero, a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Sam Johnson).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee and the ranking member on the House Budget Committee, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Ryan).

Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ginny Brown-Waite).

At this time, I yield 1 minute, Mr. Speaker, to a distinguished gentleman from the Ways and Means Committee, Mr. Davis.

We have five speakers remaining.

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Brady).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Louisiana.

I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Nevada (Mr. Heller).

Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 1 minute to a distinguished member of the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam).

At this time, Madam Speaker, I have one speaker remaining.

At this time, I yield 1 minute to the distinguished gentleman from the Ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Nunes).

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to commemorate the 70th anniversary since its establishment on June 23, 1939.

On June 23, 1939, Congress established the Coast Guard Reserve, later known as the Coast Guard Auxiliary, to promote boating safety and to facilitate Coast Guard operations. Beginning in 1942, they became the core of the Temporary Reserve and over 50,000 Auxiliarists performed coastal defense and search rescue duties and patrolled

bridges, factories, docks and beaches. Since its inception, the Auxiliary has been expanding its integration with the Coast Guard to allow for further assistance in any Coast Guard mission authorized by the Commandant. It is an organization of pride, bravery, and patriotism that works closely with the Coast Guard to ensure the safety and protection of the United States of America.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is especially honored in a state such as Michigan. With five Great Lakes surrounding the borders of this state, maritime activity is a critical transportation method. Assistance from the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is essential to ensuring the safety of not only our tourists and residents, but also to all commercial traffic that use the lakes regularly. The men and women who serve with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary in Michigan are not only revered for their service to the country, but also to the wellbeing and protection of all who venture in our Great Lakes.

On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Michigan, it is with great honor that I commemorate this 70th anniversary of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary for its continued years of successful assistance to the United States Coast Guard and to our wonderful state. Thank you, Auxiliarists for all that you have done and all that you will continue to do in the future.

Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to LT COL Kenneth Bow, USAR RET, in recognition of his 70th birthday this Saturday, June 13, 2009.

Kenneth Bow retired from the U.S. Army Reserves in 1993 with the rank of LT COL. He joined the ROTC at Michigan State in 1958. After graduation as an Electrical Engineer, he began his active duty as a Second Lieutenant at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Later, from 1963 to 1965, he was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. After being honorably discharged, he immediately joined the 578th Research and Development Unit in the USAR in Midland, Michigan.

On active-duty training assignments over his army career, he served in many Mobilization Designee positions, mainly in the Ft. Belvoir Research Development and Engineer Center. His training projects were highly technical and engineering-oriented, such as standardization of controls across an electrical generator family and related self diagnosis; and the impact of chlorofluorocarbon, CFC, regulations on users. In addition, LT COL Bow co-chaired management of selected engineering and financial teams assembled to conceptualize the design of a state-of-the-art, $100 million automated logistical center/ warehouse at Sharpe Army Depot in California.

In his more than twenty-eight years serving the USAR, LT COL Bow was highly decorated with the following awards: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, USAR Achievement Medal with three Bronze Oak Leaves, National Defense Service Medal, and Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Hour-Glass Device.

In 1965, Kenneth Bow joined the Dow Chemical Company in Midland, Michigan, rising to the highest research professional rank of Research Scientist at the time of his retirement in 2007.

On behalf of the Fourth Congressional District of Michigan, I am honored today to recognize LT COL Kenneth Bow in celebration of his 70th birthday. I hope the year to come will bring him health, happiness, and special times with family and friends. Birthdays are a time to reminisce over good memories and make new ones. I hope that his is special.

I thank the gentlewoman for yielding.

I strongly oppose H.R. 1886, in particular, language inserted at the Rules Committee to create a new, but poorly designed, trade preference program for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While I would support a well-designed program to create jobs and spur economic development, this legislation is deeply flawed. First, it brings virtually no economic benefit because the product mix is stingy--an economic fig leaf that should fool no one.

My second objection is even more fundamental. While the bill is light on commercial benefits, it is heavy on intrusive, impractical labor requirements that could exceed U.S. law. Now, I very much support improving labor conditions; but these new, unnecessarily onerous labor criteria would impede investment and won't improve labor conditions.

Specifically, this legislation requires the Secretary of Labor to designate any entity to conduct firm-level inspections in Afghanistan and Pakistan to ensure compliance with ``core labor standards,'' even an NGO hostile to trade. This vague language subjects firms to arbitrary standards that could exceed U.S. law--I repeat, that could exceed U.S. law. Given the dire security situation there, having inspectors go from door to door, even cottage to cottage, to enforce such standards strains credibility.

Moreover, this standard exceeds the labor provisions in other preference programs and even our trade agreements negotiated under the bipartisan May 10 standard for FTAs both lauded by the Speaker and Chairman Rangel. It could be viewed as a precedent to justify the inclusion of similar language, not only in new trade agreements, but perhaps even in efforts to revise existing ones, which would, of course, apply to us as well, leaving the United States vulnerable to challenges that our labor laws don't meet this standard.

I am also concerned about the pay-for. For every dollar of duty relief that reconstruction opportunity zone exports from these countries receive, other Pakistani and Afghan exports have to pay at least that amount in increased fees, making these countries potentially worse off than they are right now.

Lastly, I am disappointed that this is my first opportunity to explain my concerns. This bill was not even considered by the Ways and Means Committee, which, again, it's not about the committee but again this denies the American people their voice. This is not the return to regular order we were promised by the Speaker. And I fear this is not the last time this month I will be on the floor raising that concern.

The provision also subverts the prerogatives out of the House by turning an aid bill into a revenue measure, ripe for mischief when it gets to the other side of the Capitol.

Because of all of this, I strongly oppose the legislation in its current form. I urge my colleagues to vote against the measure.